Humanity has spread to every star within 500 light-years of its half-forgotten origin, coloring the sky with a haze of habitats. Societies rise an...
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reviews
May 03, 2010
Jamie
rated it: 
This was a very well-done "first contact" story, in that it presented human contact with aliens from both sides. This in itself may not sound so original, but it is literally from both sides, as if there are two separate, parallel stories in one book. I love books that tell a familiar story from a different perspective (like Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina or Zoe's Tale), but having both in the same book is even better.
Another original twist is that we (homo More...
Another original twist is that we (homo More...
Feb 04, 2012
Alan
rated it: 
This book left me with sharply mixed feelings. It's an easy read, a great story that's often fun, but there were just too many things in it that felt wrong to me. Too much strange physics which might be acceptable if it was necessary to drive an otherwise tight plot, but it wasn't. The green mist in interstellar space signalling the coming of intelligent visitors and the spawning of countless new universes really add nothing to the story and and cause readers to scratch their heads.
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Oct 27, 2011
Joseph
rated it:
After a 400-yr old journey a human generation starship arrives at it's destination. But to their surprise, this Earth-like planet has indigenous intelligent life - the first ever encountered. This changes everything and leads to a schizm between the younger "ship" generation that wants to begin colonization and the founders who want noninterference with the developing alien culture. Meanwhile, on Ground, a young astronomer and his friend, a physicist, detect an anomaly with a new co
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Oct 30, 2010
Kat
rated it:
Overall, Learning the World is a magnificently crafted book. It is well structured and beautifully written. However, this is not a book that will please all readers.
The opening is somewhat like feeling around in a dark room looking for the light switch: It's not quite clear what's going on. This is complicated by the fact that you end this first chapter believing you know the rules of the world only to have to undergo the same process with the second chapter and the other world. It als More...
The opening is somewhat like feeling around in a dark room looking for the light switch: It's not quite clear what's going on. This is complicated by the fact that you end this first chapter believing you know the rules of the world only to have to undergo the same process with the second chapter and the other world. It als More...
Oct 21, 2007
http://nhw.livejournal.com/592810.html[return][return]I really liked it. I thought that it does indeed add something new to the old sf theme of first contact between humans and aliens. It takes the premise of Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky, a book I really didn't like at all, and does it a whole lot better - basically, the aliens on their planet have a society which feels much more like ours than do the humans in the approaching spaceship. I thought the various cultures and subcultures, bo
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Apr 06, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Interesting first-contact novel which explores the story from both sides, as after all both humans and 'aliens' are making first contact - and which is which after all? There is much to admire and otherwise in both sides. The speculation towards the end of the book is interesting but doesn't detract from the rest of it even if it does possibly answer the unanswered questions about the origins of the Earth expedition.
The 'scientific romance' subtitle is possibly more deserved from the viewpo More...
The 'scientific romance' subtitle is possibly more deserved from the viewpo More...
Aug 09, 2007
Kellan
rated it: 
Gone is the smart political sensibilities and hyper-kinetics of his post-cyberpunk “Fall Revolution” series, or the vast, achingly distant noir universe of “Engines of Light”.
This is golden age science fiction – people in a spaceship, a new world, and a previously unsuspected alien race. Its a small book, with some good moments, but rather then the delicious disassociation that I associate with reading a Macleod novel, here he has worked hard to make the far future seem familiar and More...
This is golden age science fiction – people in a spaceship, a new world, and a previously unsuspected alien race. Its a small book, with some good moments, but rather then the delicious disassociation that I associate with reading a Macleod novel, here he has worked hard to make the far future seem familiar and More...
Oct 19, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
Learning the World is a first contact story told from both sides, that of space-faring humans who pioneer from system to system and had believed they were the long intelligent race in the universe and the inhabitant race of a planet at the approximate Earth equivalent of pre-World War I technology in the latest system the humans plan to settle. The human view point is presented in large part through the 14th millennial equivalent of a teenager's blog, while the terrestrial race (alien space bat
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Dec 26, 2007
Flint
rated it:
I didn't like it as much as the Fall Revolution or Engines of Light series. It lacked the humor of Newton's Wake. While it did try to depict a political conflict between the interests of three different factions. as well as having humanity with the "great white burden" of civilizing the natives and abolishing slavery. It all fell rather flat. I always had the feeling that I must have read this novel before, or parts of it from different science fiction authors in the past. The tied up
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Mar 12, 2009
Anita
rated it: 
Great book, very original, takes things in some wonderfully different directions. Reminded me of Arthur C. Clarke at his best, in some ways. Again, a truly wonderful escapist book-fix. Enjoy!
Jul 19, 2010
Lucas
rated it:
This story has a lot in common with Vernor Vinge's 'A Deepness In The Sky', and turning the color of stars green is in Alastair Reynolds' 'Galactic North'.
At 300 pages it's short for modern SF novel. It's a little disappointing to get to the last 25 pages and realize a lot of interesting background material was not foreshadowing after all (so what was the 'big tube' referenced a couple of times?).
The ending is weak- also I didn't completely understand it.
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At 300 pages it's short for modern SF novel. It's a little disappointing to get to the last 25 pages and realize a lot of interesting background material was not foreshadowing after all (so what was the 'big tube' referenced a couple of times?).
The ending is weak- also I didn't completely understand it.
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Jun 09, 2009
Mia
rated it:
I really liked this, two very believable worlds, with decently developed characters and cultures (alien bat-people!), and I didn't see the twist ending coming.
May 07, 2009
Aramis
rated it:
I was expecting too much from this one that truly underwhelmed me. I kept waiting for the big climax that never happened.
Sep 11, 2008
Betsey
rated it:
eh. the writing was good, but the story was on the dull side. the intrigue wasn't enough for a space opera, the science wasn't enough for a dork-out hard scifi book, the first contact wasn't enough for a good first contact book. it was just very very ok. hence the 3 stars. I'd give it 2, but I didn't think it was bad. just not good. The book was split into two perspectives, and it was like MacLeod couldn't decide if he wanted to write a high tech book about a spacefaring race or a steampunk
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Aug 29, 2008
Tal
rated it:
usually, i really like Ken Mcleod's books - but this one was a slog and i dont think i'm going to finish it :(
it's a first contact novel between the shipfolk of the sunliner "But The Sky, My Lady! The Sky!" and a world called Ground. neither culture expects to meet the other - the sunliner expected to find an empty world, Ground had no idea they werent alone in the universe.
and that's...about as far as i got. the characters were confusing, keeping names straight More...
it's a first contact novel between the shipfolk of the sunliner "But The Sky, My Lady! The Sky!" and a world called Ground. neither culture expects to meet the other - the sunliner expected to find an empty world, Ground had no idea they werent alone in the universe.
and that's...about as far as i got. the characters were confusing, keeping names straight More...
Oct 05, 2010
Jordi
rated it:
Llibre força peculiar. L'anglès que utilitza no és complicat d'entendre. Li falta una mica més d'acció.
Jan 11, 2010
Chris "Stu"
rated it:
This book was heartily disappointing. Like "Newton's Wake," which I finished right before, the ending comes quickly, confusingly, with not enough revealed to even explain what just happened. What starts of as a novel of First Contact just turns into a muddled mess by the end. Extremely disappointing.
May 10, 2009
Koji
rated it:
Other books by MacLeod are deeper, but I found this to be the most entertaining.
Feb 18, 2010
Kate
rated it:
So much fun.
Far future humans (think the Federation)who have a whole science/tech culture oriented around designing habitats with which to colonize uninhabited planets find a planet that is inhabited...
...BY HUMANOID, HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BATS!!! Heck yeah!
The bats are several centuries "behind" the humans in terms of evolution and culture (think late 16th century.) All sorts of ethical puzzles ensue. You get to see the story from both sides. Some of More...
Far future humans (think the Federation)who have a whole science/tech culture oriented around designing habitats with which to colonize uninhabited planets find a planet that is inhabited...
...BY HUMANOID, HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BATS!!! Heck yeah!
The bats are several centuries "behind" the humans in terms of evolution and culture (think late 16th century.) All sorts of ethical puzzles ensue. You get to see the story from both sides. Some of More...
Jan 11, 2010
Stephen
rated it:
Not bad. And interesting imagination of first contact and of medium-future human society.
Feb 09, 2012
Lauri
rated it:
What was interesting about this book was how the humans of the far future in it feel a lot more alien to the reader than the race of intelligent bats. A nice twist of perspective. All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot but was slightly disappointed with the sudden and dissatisfactory ending.
Sep 05, 2010
Matt
rated it:
An excellent and subtle story of first contact in which many of the tropes traditional assumptions are twisted in interesting ways.
Employs a two stranded narrative to tell the story from both viewpoints at once; a structure that works really well.
I was left with the impression that KM had done a lot of thinking around the Fermi paradox, the principal of mediocrity, the anthropic principal and other topics that he (mostly) resisted the urge to force into the narrative.
Employs a two stranded narrative to tell the story from both viewpoints at once; a structure that works really well.
I was left with the impression that KM had done a lot of thinking around the Fermi paradox, the principal of mediocrity, the anthropic principal and other topics that he (mostly) resisted the urge to force into the narrative.
Dec 17, 2009
Zab
rated it:
Decently written and really well-imagined sci fi. Has interestingly thought out cultures in far-future generational ships (which just happen to have financial markets similar to 20th-21st century ones).
There's also a first contact story that doesn't go like you'd expect it to, and there turns out, in the last chapter, to be a surprisingly good reason for this.
A satisfying read - I'm definitely going to check out MacLeod's other books.
There's also a first contact story that doesn't go like you'd expect it to, and there turns out, in the last chapter, to be a surprisingly good reason for this.
A satisfying read - I'm definitely going to check out MacLeod's other books.
Mar 16, 2008
Ron
rated it:
It's hard enough to depict an utterly alien race in a convincing manner -- to do it in alternate chapters while also sketching out a believable human society that has been living in giant spaceships for millennia is doubly impressive. Macleod sets these two plot vectors in motion and brings them together smoothly.
Jul 17, 2008
Mike
rated it:
Would have enjoyed it more had it been twice the length, it lacked character development. Ending wasn't fantastic, but not entirely predictable, which in the first-contact genre is a plus.
Oct 25, 2007
Nina
rated it:
Rambunctious and eager and clumsy like a new puppy. The characters are Star Wars cutouts, but some of the SF ideas are neat, and the Scottish local color is charming.
